#4

Generalissimo Genre at your service.

"I Will Possess Your Heart" - Death Cab For Cutie

People are getting tired of the same ole college indie rock of the new millennium. Everyone, their mother, and their dog have been retooling their sound to stay current including the purveyors of the genre, Death Cab For Cutie. The term "indie" isn't defined anymore by just being signed to an independent label. It has become the status quo for labeling a band that simply has that textbook indie sound, isn't played on typical broadcast radio (satellite doesn't count), or doesn't receive Grammy nominations. Death Cab has achieved all of the above. So why are we still calling them indie? They are signed to a major label- check. They are played on the radio (college radio doesn't count either) - check. And they received a Grammy nod this past year for Best Alternative Music Album for their 2008 release Narrow Stairs- check. Yet we still can't break that steady habit of categorizing them as indie. Why you ask? Because this is the direction music is going in our present day thanks to sites like Myspace and Facebook. The artists we used to know as strictly “indie” (Death Cab, The Decemberists, Rilo Kiley) are being signed to the labels the music zealots were against. And so, being signed to a major label became synonymous to selling out.

I was skeptical when it came time to listen to Narrow Stairs, Death Cab's second major label release. Its predecessor Plans was far from exceptional in my opinion. It sounded like a commercialized version of the heavily lauded Transatlanticism. The same thing seemed to have happened with The Decemberists' first venture into major label territory with The Crane Wife (as mentioned in Post #3). And let us not forget Rilo Kiley's stink of an album Under The Blacklight. I still have a bad taste in my mouth from that LP. Out of these three bands Death Cab was the first to release a sophomore major label album so of course I was ready for another disappointment, but thankfully that was not the case. Death Cab threw what guitarist and producer Chris Walla dubbed as a "curve ball." Their previous albums had always sounded smooth with very few sandpaper moments. Narrow Stairs was the complete opposite with it being louder and more abrasive. The first single from it "I Will Possess Your Heart" with Gibbard's lyrics exclaiming, "You've gotta spend some time, love. You've gotta spend some time with me." still hails back to the pre-Atlantic days but with a new twist of jam-band swagger a la Wilco. It is a fine demonstration of a band trying something new without losing the formula that brought them to the stage in the first place.

With the shift in the music industry pointing more towards internet-only releases we are seeing the comeback of what indie meant in the first place- being able to get your music to the masses without the aid of a deep pocketed label. As the days go on though, more and more independent labels pop up from the ground. We also see more major labels turning their ear towards unsigned acts that are already doing a damn good job selling their music on their own. This is all well and good considering the marketing and money that is offered, but we should all share in the lesson that the label does not necessarily define the band. Let us not forget that it’s the poorly written, watered down, swill that a band may release that either makes them or breaks them in the major label world. I’m looking at you Rilo Kiley.

"Nice & Blue Pt. 2" - mewithoutYou

I've never felt inclined to prescribe to the genre of Christian rock, its repetition, or its message. It is filled with a congregation of carbon-copy bands and stale singer/songwriters that bring nothing that’s truly genuine to the table. Just the same two words- "Praise Jesus." That is all well and good for the usual Sunday morning into Sunday night church-goer. They think anything not approved by their sanctuary of choice is, well, the devil's work. Although some of the less orthodox forms of Christianity have swung a bit more to the left lately, but not that far. They still hate gays no matter how tolerant they claim to be. But this blog wasn't intended to step on the toes of the pious and devout. I am here to bring you my thoughts on music, but if that means rubbing the face of Christian music into the dirt a little along the way, then so be it. But worry not my god-fearing readers; there is light, hope, and a burning bush by the name of mewithoutYou, a band that has consistently proved me wrong time and time again that maybe there is a band with a venerable message that doesn't suck. Honestly, I could never bring myself to put the label of "Christian Rock" on mewithoutYou. It's just wrong.

At the root, mewithoutYou's music lends itself to the hard-hitting, pre-numetal grunge days of Helmet with a dash of the melodic side of Sunny Day Real Estate. What captures the listener more though is singer Aaron Weiss' thoughtfully and elegantly poetic lyrics sung in the style of a preacher witnessing to his flock. His message isn't the usual Christian one either. Instead Weiss gives the listeners an intimate look into his life and how he has walked the footsteps of Christ and what exactly that means to him. His message doesn't convey the idea of how to be a good Christian, but how to be a good person and leading others to do so by example. An idea that was the core of Jesus' teachings and has remained relevant to the morals taught to us today.

Now three albums deep (and a forth along the way) mwY have asserted their stance in the music world. This is the part where I swallow my pride and say that mwY deserves to be on a bigger label than their current one with the power to push them towards listeners who may not have heard them yet. Who knows, they have probably already gotten offers to step up on the ladder to join the bigwigs, but I am sure that they have respectfully declined for reasons that are obvious if you understand the significance and importance of what they are trying to do. And that is to just bring beautiful music into the hearts of the lost no matter what label, genre, or classification the public seems to want to nail them to.

“Shell Of Light” – Burial

Since we seem to be following the theme of genre generalization in this issue of 5SIAR I’m glad to see that my ipod has decided to enter the realm of electronic. Like indie, it’s another classification of music with an endless assortment of sub-genres. Every artist, producer, and DJ has put his or her mark on what was once just a style of music, but is now an entire culture. Like the previous artists in this issue, and their respective genres, the school of electronic has a penchant for churning out one-shot club hits with nothing else to solidify them as worth listening to while sober and stagnant at home. However, this is not the case with the electronic dubstep artist from the U.K. known as Burial. He has been able to craft two creditable albums, 2006’s self-titled Burial, and 2007’s Untrue (from which this track comes from) that house an eeriness that makes you feel like you’re on some kind of acid trip in a haunted house that’s stuck inside an dance club sized aquarium.

While “Shell Of Light” is a memorable track, it was the song “Archangel” that made everyone’s 2007 year-end mix, including mine. I think there were a few days where I had to play it at least ten times a day (Thanks, Aaron). Burial makes the kind of electronic that is repetitious, yet hard to get tired of. The steady two-step beat of Untrue is the album’s kernel, but it’s the mix of ethereal soundscapes and underwater vocal effects that give the album its push.

Not much was known about Burial at first. For a while the public didn’t even have a face to put to the music. A few speculations made the British tabloids as Burial being either Richard James (Aphex Twin) or Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim). The media’s thirst was finally quenched when a photo and a blog were released from the real Burial on to his Myspace page humbly stating, “I'm a low-key person and I just want to make some tunes, nothing else.” If only other artists would take from his mantra and stop focusing all their efforts on being the next big thing. Burial proves the point that if you just take a step back and concentrate on what you love to do it’ll come natural and it won’t sound like a pile of used rubbers falling to the floor- flat and unappealing- which is, unfortunately what most of the club anthems sound like these days.

“Time = Cause” – Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene is about as indie as indie can get. These canucks have provided its listeners with a treasure trove of various full lengths, EP’s, and solo albums from main songwriters (and pretty much the only two band members that don’t seem to come and go) Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of the band is made up of people from other Canadian bands from around the Toronto area including members of Stars, Emily Haines from Metric, and everyone’s favorite ipod commercial sweetheart Feist. What makes this band so inviting to the ears is their ability to string together so many different little odds and ends borrowed from all over the genre map and make it sound organized and pleasing.

BeeHives is comprised of nine mostly instrumental B-sides taken from BSS’s LP You Forgot It In People. Get it, BeeHives, B-sides, nevermind. Like Burial’s Untrue, BeeHives is another great record to just put on and let it carry you through your day. It’s mellow, but not enough to make you want to go to sleep (Listen to their debut Feel Good Lost for the purposes of slumber). “Time = Cause” was the B-side to the popular song “Stars and Sons” featured on the movie Half Nelson along with several other BSS songs. Though the song that clenches the heart the most is the stripped down piano version of the ballad “Lover’s Spit.” Feist’s soft and aching vocals make this song even more painful to listen to than the original version found on You Forgot It In People.

Even though BSS are still signed to an indie label that doesn’t mean that all of their albums have been pure works of genius. While at some points throughout BSS’s career they have hit the mark with beautifully arranged rock and pop, at other times their music comes off as stale and overdone. It’s an unbroken habit by many budding artists to just choose the safe route, though BSS is hardly a newcomer to the scene so I expect a little bit more. Pitchfork said it best in their review for BeeHives, “B-sides are B-sides for a reason.”

“Spitting Venom” – Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse is yet another fine example of a small indie label band turned major label, platinum-record rock stars. What was once a band that used to open for Built to Spill in bars is now all grown up and headlining shows of their own at much bigger venues. It took them long enough too. How many albums does Modest Mouse have? It seems like more than a dozen and it could very well be considering that they’ve been around since the early 90’s. Their success came in the form of the albums The Moon & Antarctica and Good News For People Who Love Bad News from which the radio and bar jukebox hit “Float On” comes from. Since then they have also added on to their line-up including The Smith’s guitarist Johnny Marr and percussionist Joe Plummer formerly of The Black Heart Procession for the help on their 2007 LP We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank.

“The opinions that I do not give are the opinions I ain't got,” sings Isaac Brock during the first few verses on this track, a track that is definitely one of my personal favorites from We Were Dead. The quote stands out to me because as I’m traversing down the long road of becoming a music critic and journalist I find it difficult to just sit down, listen to an album, and give it an objective review. Music is subjective, different people have different tastes. What I say about a song or album may not translate to what a person feels from that particular piece of music. No one is ever going to completely agree with what anyone may think or write. You become offended if you see someone talk bad about an artist you might love; and such is the dilemma of reading reviews. Sometimes we take it a little too personally.

Modest Mouse has joined the ranks of other bands that have made the crossover to major label while still being able to capture audiences and procure Billboard chart success. They have left fellow west coast indie rockers Built to Spill in the dust even though BtS had achieved major label status long before the Mouse did. I’m quite positive we’ll be seeing good things from this seasoned band as they continue to sprig new signs of life into the songs that have already given them the grandiose status they rightfully deserve. Maybe they could possibly fill in for the recently vacated spot from Amy Winehouse on the Coachella bill? Morrissey will also be playing Coachella this year. It would be about as close to a Smiths reunion I think we’ll ever get.

#3

The British are coming! The British are coming!

“This Is Hardcore” – Pulp

I decided instead of just being stagnant listening to this issue’s 5 songs that I would be active in doing something. For instance, cooking breakfast, and I have to say that the title track from Pulp’s dark and seedy album This Is Hardcore is the perfect song to make sausage and eggs to. Well, almost perfect. I almost burned the sausage, and I definitely burned the egg. Still, they were both edible.

I think it’s the intro to the song that does it for me. The steady 4/4 drum beat, the horns, the piano, and then eventually the strings. I honestly felt like I was in a movie, which is kind of what the song is about, but not really. That is unless you consider porn to be actual cinema. I don’t know. I did however picture an entire scene in my head of me cooking breakfast and in walks the lady I slept with the night before with nothing on but the clichéd half-buttoned shirt and giving me a look like, “Stop cooking and just come back to bed.” I could go further with this scene, but I don’t write porn. Is there even screenwriting for porno?

This Is Hardcore is a must listen and must have. It’s one of those Brit-pop albums that will remain timeless. Yes, it’s kind of depressing, but you have to understand that this album was released later on in Pulp’s career which means that they were already dealing with the cocaine addiction and relationship break-ups that coincide with being in a popular band. And, of course, like most of the popular Brit-pop bands of the early to mid-nineties, Pulp is on hiatus. There is some light at the end of the tunnel though. Blur have reunited. This is already old news though, but I wanted to mention at least one working Brit-pop band that’s still great. And not, you know, *cough cough* Oasis.

“I’m Sticking With You” – The Decemberists

I love The Decemberists. Yes, even post-Crane Wife Decemberists. Just because an indie band is signed to a major label doesn’t mean I’m going to stick my nose in the air at them. Honestly, there are no lines between indie and mainstream anymore. The internet has pretty much wiped those lines from the sand. The Decemberists are a good example of semi-well known indie label band reaching very-well known major label greatness without losing their indie sensibility. I will admit that I didn’t enjoy The Crane Wife as much as their previous works, and I also didn't enjoy the singles collection that was recently released titled Always A Bridesmaid, which is where “I’m Sticking With You” comes from.

Bands go through changes in their music, I get this. They want to expand their horizons to hopefully gain new listeners and to not do the same thing that they have been doing for the past few albums over again. At first glance The Decemberists appear to have done it without losing too much of the original formula that made me want to listen to them in the first place. It was mostly the stories within the lyrics that Colin Meloy would put to the music that garnered such an attraction to them. Castaways & Cutouts was great, as was Her Majesty, and Picaresque. I could picture each story that was being told in my head. Meloy was vivid with his words without being extravagant and overbearing. Along came The Crane Wife and Always A Bridesmaid though and I was shocked to find that those songs weren’t as lyrically fulfilling as their predecessors. Was this because of them being signed to the major label Capitol? I don’t want to assume that at all, but it’s hard not to. It’s been happening a lot lately.

Their new album The Hazards of Love will be released in a few weeks. I’ve heard the few tracks that have been on the internet for a while now and I’m looking forward to hearing the rest, but I remain skeptical. I may have lost a little faith, but I will never write off The Decemberists no matter what happens down the road.

“Irish Blood, English Heart” – Morrissey

My knowledge on this music icon is limited, so forgive me. This brings me to the suggestion a friend made to me a few days ago about having guest writers. It doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Just because an artist like Morrissey is on my ipod doesn’t mean I know a lot about him, but I should. He’s only been one of the most influential singer/songwriters for, what, almost 30 years now? Still, I have only recently gotten into his catalog (sounds dirty) which includes The Smiths and all his solo albums. Being a music lover you have to listen to Morrissey at least once in your life, right?

Because I am still not very familiar with what this guy is about I’m going to let some Morrissey experts explain why you should listen to him. Take it away guys.

Edward-

“Morrissey's songs sum up the isolation and loneliness inherent in the human condition, and especially the male human condition. It's his standard theme, and one he's milked successfully for over two decades. His critics will say that there's nothing in his songs beyond just the gloom and doom, but what they are missing, the most important thing they are missing, is the hope that is also offered within. He may be singing about despair and sadness and loneliness, about fear and loss, but he's also telling you, that for the most part, it will all be okay in the end.”

Mary-

"Ah... Morrissey. We heart him. Why? Could it be his dry sarcasm? His blatant distaste for humanity? His pessimism? His asexuality? His ambiguous nature? Perhaps it's all of these things. Contrary to the beliefs of some people who have criticized me for loving "such depressing music," much of his music is actually upbeat. In fact, if you don't listen to the lyrics you might even go as far as to categorize it as happy music. Especially his stuff with The Smiths. It has that twangy '60s style coupled with complex melodies interlaced through an independent twist of the '80s pop sound that manages to stand out amongst bands who were popular at the time The Smiths were."

So the consensus is that Morrissey isn't all doom and gloom. There is some happiness to his music. It's all in how you perceive it. I was in my car not too long ago with my younger brother and his girlfriend and a Morrissey song came on my ipod. She complained about listening to it and proceeded to put her headphones on to listen to something else. I asked her, "What could you possibly be listening to that's better than Morrissey?" She replied, "Motion City Soundtrack." Sigh. Kids these days.

"All I Need" - Radiohead

The Brits are taking over this post. They are also taking over my ipod. Browsing through the artist list on it I notice that a lot of them are British. I'm not complaining though, so don't think I am. Just stating a fact. It's hard to say no to them all. Hell, my first favorite band when I was 6 was Tears For Fears. Fast forward ten years and I discover another band from the UK that's all the rave at the time. A friend handed me a copy of The Bends on cassette, and, well, the rest is of course history.

I still remember the day In Rainbows was released on the internet. I was skeptical considering that Hail To The Thief wasn't exactly on par with the usual tag of greatness that goes along with Radiohead. The band had tried something new, something that a lot of other bands have adopted themselves as well- cutting out the middle man and self-releasing their latest album on the internet before putting it in stores. What was more interesting was that Radiohead introduced the "pay what you want" scheme. You could get the album for free, or you could pay any amount you deemed necessary. Most people didn't approve of this, namely the record companies considering that if the scheme caught on (which it did) they would not be making the money anymore, the band would, which is how it should be anyway.

Business models aside, In Rainbows is a fantastic album. Worthy of the great reviews it received. The music of Radiohead has brought me a wealth of other music to branch off and listen to as well as new friendships with other people just talking about Radiohead. People have asked me which albums I would choose to be on my top 10 all-time favorite albums. This is harder than it sounds, but the one album and band that always crosses my mind first is, of course, without a doubt Radiohead's OK Computer. Like so many bands before them I feel Radiohead has defined a generation of music.

"Northern Whale" - The Good, The Bad, & The Queen

We're at the end of this post and the red coat's bayonets are almost at my throat. Jarvis Cocker, Morrissey, Thom Yorke, and now Damon Albarn all have made their point. The stars and stripes of my ipod have been replaced by the Union Jack and Colin Meloy is trembling madly in a foxhole somewhere waiting for the canons to stop firing. I wave a small white handkerchief and declare surrender. I'm hoping her majesty will have some pity on this poor wretched soul of mine.

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen was originally intended to be Albarn's solo album but instead turned into a concept album played by a supergroup Albarn put together composed of former members of The Clash, The Verve, and that one guy Damon worked with to make that Afrobeat album. The album is pretty good and is described as "a song cycle that's also a mystery play about London." I would expect nothing less from the frontman of Blur and half the brain behind Gorillaz. When I'm listening to TG,TB,& TQ I can honestly say that I feel like I'm walking down a London street at night. Hazy. Dark. Gloomy. Jack the Ripper right around the corner with his latest victim. I gotta hand it to Albarn and his cohorts, they certainly know how to set a mood.

As stated earlier in this post Blur has reunited to play some shows. Will there be a new album? One can only hope. Gorillaz is also slated to release something new this year too. I'm anxious to see what kind of new art Jamie Hewlett has done to go along with the effort. That's another thing that excites me about music. The visual art that goes along with it. The artist gives us the opportunity to not only hear the music, but see it as well. I don't know about any of you, but I always feel kind of bummed when a band or solo-artist releases an album with sub-par cover artwork. It just makes the music a little less appealing. Do you agree or disagree? Leave a comment after you read and let me know.

The Brits may have me, but I'm plotting my escape as we speak.